I had hoped to post something about panfish but the outing I had last week brought none to have. While I did see just a few and felt a few fish tag my fly, those Smallies called my name. After a few hours, I decided to head downstream away from the swimmers and anglers to an area that most fisherman won’t go because of the lack of cover and increase in snagging their lures and baits.
It’s an area in which lies a very long run of limestone. Maybe 200 meters or less. Mainly a good current through the year and averaging a foot or two if it rains every now and again. You’ll find grass or green stuff along the far bank - width of the stream is probably about 25 yards. You find pools and rubs and riffles and eddies. All sorts of places for you to find fish but you’ll have to contend with the limestone.
Further upstream, you’ll find a limestone area where it seems a landslide happened. The fish will hang out under those ledges and holes. In this area, it looks flat but that’s why it is deceiving. A while there are some rough and coarse spots, a good portion is slick and wading has to be done very carefully. There are places that are shallow and then drop off several more feet. As you drift, fish can be found in those deeper pools. It’s almost as if they are camouflaged because of the gravel and darker areas on the limestone. Fish will also come out from under ledge and eat a fly. It’s nice to see them chase a fly down. Occasionally, a fish will be under a ledge that provides perfect cover to watch for food to drift downstream. And as a trout, those Smallies will come out and hone in on that fly almost on a beeline and inhale it. Those fish will be right in front of you and you won’t even know it.
Pictured above, that Smallmouth was somewhere within a pool in which I had my fly drifting into. The pool was about 30 feet away and I couldn’t see the fish at all. There were some rocks and a small outcropping off limestone jutting just underneath the top of the stream. Don’t know if she came from somewhere or was sitting in the pool or what but the Fly was struck pretty good. It seems maybe she came from the back of the pool, took the fly and headed back or looked for cover because she immediately headed downstream before I lightly applied pressure to the line to show her down.
This fish (above) chased the fly down. Just a few days ago, the water was dingy but I was able to make out the fish. I couldn’t even see my fly but I saw that fish take off and I knew what he wanted. Again, I was drifting into a pool. Upstream about 20 feet, I had cast out straight across and into the current which passed through the pool. The fish was hiding somewhere at the head of the pool or a small ledge along the left side of it. I saw that fish just about the time a hard slam was felt.
I think a lot of folks avoid fishing these limestone rifles because from what I can see, a lot of terminal tackle anglers and bait fisherman target cover. And, you’ve got to have felt soles to get through some of the limestone stream bed. Where cover is found here, it’s very shallow. And with the nooks and crannies, I’m even loosing flies. With a quick tug and release, my fires will let loose and thank goodness for tying flies with the hook riding up.
It’s been a tough year but I’m finding them. Looks like I may have to move to smaller and slower water for panfish though. Hoping to build out a 3 wgt McFarland rod sometime before winter or late Fall.
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